We Are Family #BehindTheBlogger

Behind The Blogger~ We Are Family ~

My family is so off the realm of what most people think of when they hear the word family. Trying to explain my family in words is even harder. For the sake of this post and everyone’s sanity who reads this, I am going to stick to just my immediate family growing up. A glimpse into my past and why I feel the way I do about family today.

At one point in my life I had 11 siblings. Yep, that says eleven! I have two sisters and one brother from before my parents got divorced. They both remarried while I was still young and I gained two brothers from my step-dad and 3 brothers and 3 sisters from my step-mom..

However also during this time and before their divorce, my dad was in the army and stationed in Korea, my mom was going through somethings of her own and my 3 siblings and I ended up with my grandmother who also had 3 of my cousin living with her. We were all sort of raised as siblings.

Later on around age 9-10 my dad is home from the Army, the divorce is finalized and the new marriages happened. Now have 11 siblings plus my three “cousins” At this point in our lives my 3 siblings and my 3 cousins all moved back in with our parents. Me and my older sister with my dad our new step mom and her three youngest who were in our age range. Our two younger siblings with our mom. My cousins with their mom.

Fast forward to 12yrs old I end up having to move in and my mom as my sister had just recently done that herself, and now I’m living with all 3 of my siblings and my two step brothers.

Fast forward almost a year later, 6 days after my 13th birthday, my dad was shot and killed in a hunting accident. After his funeral I never talked to my step-mom again and my 6 new siblings all of a sudden weren’t my siblings anymore. I know its sounds weird but I was young at the time and that is how it felt. (She later died in my early twenties and I have since found and spoken with my ex-siblings, but its not the same)

Fast forward to age 16 and I moved out of my mom’s house and back in with my grandmother. My older sister and 2 of my cousins were also back living with gram. My gram spent many years raising us 7 kids together that we sort of all felt and still to this day as adults, feel more like siblings than cousins. Our kids call us Aunt and Uncle whether actual aunt uncle or technically cousins.

Growing up in what some would call chaos, was probably one of the best things I love about my childhood. It showed me what family actually is.

Family to me is a group of people who have your back. A group of people who will love you unconditionally while still pushing you to grow and be better. They are the ones you run to when your excited or scared. The ones who dry your tears and share in your happiness. Family is so much more than blood or a name.

So while I might not know what living in a traditional family is like, We Are Family, and I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Thank you for reading a story from #BehindTheBlogger Hop. Every 2 weeks a group of bloggers is given a writing prompt. These prompts are very open ended, so our bloggers can write about whatever they desire. The main rule is that their blog post directly relates to the topic of that week. The point of this hop is for our readers to get to know us on a personal level.

Please hop along and read all of the blog posts in this weeks hop. Just click the links below. If you want real and raw emotion, then you will find it here. After you read each post, please comment and share. We want to get to know you too!

Wow your grandma was an amazing woman to raise all of you! I’m sorry you had such a chaotic childhood but it sounds like you’ve been able to take the best from it. That’s great you’re close to your cousins. I also have 2 cousins who are good friends. 🙂